Month of Thanks: Day 8

Day 8: Stories

As both a writer and a reader, stories are of the utmost importance to me and I am so grateful that they exist. Many people see them as entertainment. Some seem them as an escape. Others heed them as warnings. And even some view them as teachings. Stories have so many purposes, so much power, and can be transcended over so many different cultures that they are priceless.

Stories have the power to stir emotions: anger, hate, jealousy, love, sadness, glee. They can enlighten someone. They can embolden someone. They can give them hope in a world of darkness. Most importantly is that they are open to interpretation. Two people can read the same story and get something completely different out of it and even so they can come back together and bond over it, discuss it, disagree about it.

The best part is that stories don’t have to be written. One doesn’t need to be able to read, or speak the same language as another person to share a story. Stories are part of words, music, dance, pictures. They can be fact or fiction. They can share emotions and life experiences if we so choose to tell the story of our own lives. With the number of ways to express, understand, share, bond over, and use stories, there is little argument to deny that stories are likely the most powerful thing on Earth.

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List of Thanks

Day 1: Family
Day 2: Music
Day 3: Health
Day 4: Coffee
Day 5: Friends
Day 6: Language
Day 7: Pets